PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers baseball fell into a five-run hole in the first inning and could not recover in a 12-4 loss to Nebraska Saturday at Bainton Field. Pairing the result with the Scarlet Knights' 4-2 Friday victory, that sets up a rubber game between the teams on Sunday.
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Freshman
Mike Nyisztor knocked in three of the four runs for RU (20-15, 5-6) and now has a team-best 26 RBIs on the season. Junior
Carmen Sclafani also brought in one, reaching all three plate appearances with two singles and a walk. The Scarlet Knights have now collected 10 or more hits in a game 19 times in 2018.
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On the mound, sophomore
Tevin Murray pitched a career-high three innings of relief and struck out five. The left-hander permitted just one run in the outing.
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Nebraska (17-20, 4-8) totaled five runs, three earned, with two outs in the first inning to take an early lead. Sclafani picked up an RBI single in the bottom half, but an out at the plate kept it at 5-1. The visitors would then tack on one in the second, two in the third and one in the fourth to build a 9-1 advantage. Nyisztor cut the deficit to six by connecting for a two-run double in the fifth.
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However, the Scarlet Knights would not come closer than that as the Cornhuskers finished with 12 runs on 19 hits. Nyisztor recorded another RBI on a two-out single in the ninth. Matt Waldron (4-2) earned the win, Mike Waldron registered the save and freshman
Harry Rutkowski (4-3) suffered the loss.
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Before the game, the program welcomed back legendary head coach Fred Hill and members of his championship teams from the Atlantic 10 and Big East era.
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The decisive game of the series is set for Sunday at noon from Bainton Field.
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